Madison times. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1884-1???, 1887-10-01


rious apartment asked, shaking my
head.
"And why? Is there anything in
this house to concealS'
1.-The eldest sister, who had returned,
chook her head in denial. 1t was no
wonder. He was her husband, sup
pose. ! looked at Ellen and Addie.
They looked away. They never looked
ms lovely at least to me. For they
would not tell lie and they trusted
me.
"Well, aeard no more OF
the stranger, and things ran on
as before for a week or
two. Then there came repeated
rumors Of the guerrillas in the neigh
borhood and We began to take extra
daily at the Sunderlands, and one
afternoon as | was going away Ellen
seemed particularly i'll at ease. She
was nervous. hesitating, and altogeth-
er unlike herself. said good-by to
her at the porch and went out to my
horse. As | was about to mount she
| came out of the house and toward me,
bearing long, rich, crimson silk scarf,
with fine tassels of white silk at either
end. She held it out to me, saying:
will you wear this-for me?'
al cannot rob you,' said. Out
side OF the guitar | believe it was the
only thing of any value tina. she had
left in the world.
"Please wear it, she said. And
while hesitated she deity put it
| DI har T1r p
ed had put her arms around, too, and
had kissed me squarely on the lips.
As looked at her. quite staggered, in
an altogether happy state ofsurprise,
the tears sprang to her eyes, she turn
ed away, and went hastily into the
house.
al rode down the road slowly. Her
conduct was so strange, the memory
OF that kiss, the first and last she ever
gave me, was so tenacious that II
drove everything else out of my mind
My rein fell upon my horse neck, and
if there had been a hostile sharpshoot
er or a rebel troop anywhere about
l would have been an easy
prey. ! had FIVE men with me
but they had gone further
up the road and | did not wait fol
them. Irode thoughtfully along dur
ing most of the way for four miles
Finally l approached The Gap tht
place of which spoke, the darkest
and most secluded section of tn,
whole distance.
"As | entered it / heard some On,
calling me. In little while | re
cognized Josh, my negro cook, whC
had been visiting some plantation
He was afraid, suppose. and wanteC
protection, though he made som
, other excuse for calling. | reignet
up in the shade OF big fir by a whit
fallen trunk IN the Gap and waite'
perhaps five minutes. sat twistin
the tassels of the scarf and thinkin
, of Ellen. / was an easy mark as l sa
there, a dead shot for any man il
hiding who had ever looked along
gun barrel.
, Then, with Josh q short distanc
|, behind, l journeyed onward.
stopped az q plantation some mile
? further down and waited for m
! men. They did not come.
y went back to camp, got q detacf
ment and went out TO look for then
: We found them in the Gap. The
. lay in the road in the shade OF a b
J, fir, by the white fallen trunk, riddle
with bullets from a guerrilla ambusl
and had been shot dead from the
9 saddles not ten minutes after pas
:. ed the spot"
u There was a silence for some mil
u utes as the elisteners gathered his meal
. ing. Finally one suggested:
- "You probably kept that scarf"
i "Well, rather. 1t saved my life
= q certainty. / never saw her agai
ls for our orders took us away thu
> day. But"
, The commander-in-chief, by slo
: and deliberate puffs, reIighted his Q
:, tinguished cigar.